cool! Have you tried etching it yet? How much are they charging? Can they do this process after your counter tops are installed or does it have to be done at the fabrication stage?

I haven't tried etching it yet as I just picked it up yesteday. I know it has to cure, although I think the curing process is for the finish to harden (more susceptible to scratching) and it is probably already etch proof. I plan to call the applicator on Monday & confirm this. Then, i will start experimenting. My countertops are already installed so no problem applying Clearstone after installation. They told me I could have it applied anytime. Any etching already present, they would remove.
It's not cheap, $40 -$60 per square foot. It will cost me a little under $2000. It has a 15 year guarantee for etching & staining so I am seriously considering it.

This post was edited by romy718 on Sun, Sep 22, 13 at 1:33

Paying $40 - $60 a PSF is the dumbest thing I have ever heard of doing. BTW, its most likely closer to $60 PSF.....don't be fiscally stupid. There prices will fall once they realize that many Americans are not that dumb.

Also it basically ruins the authenticity of the stone....

Hmmm, well, that last post was a little jarring and certainly full of a lot more venom than I would have thought necessary.

Romy - I applaud you for looking into solutions that make you love your marble without fear. It's pricey, for sure...but if you want to love your marble without worrying about it etching, that may be the right solution.

Curious to find out how the tests have gone.

duffydawg - Why don't you tell us how you really feel.

How I really feel? I feel that products are being pushed on consumers that are beyond reasonably priced. Romy - its not $40 PSF for a typical residential kitchen. Its $60 - $65 by most of the very few installed authorized the install.

It is still just a topographical sealant which trashes the state of the marble like all other sealants. And for that price you can actually buy most marbles! Meaning the sealant is the cost of the stone! LOL.

As I said in another post, there are competitive engineered and porcelain products that are coming to the market. These products look very much like Calcutta Marble and will be less expensive and have fewer issues with durability than a marble with a sealant. Further, if etching keeps you up at night why on earth would you buy expensive stone and then buy an expensive sealant that trashes the natural look and feel of the stone? Why? LOL.

If Clearstone installed was the price of what it should be - $10 PSF installed then it would be a realistic conversation to decide whether to trash your marble or not. That will happen soon as these second wave of higher quality marble alternatives hit the market in 2014. Then at that price point, you have much less money outlaid into overhauling the natural look and feel of the stone.

duffy - I think the point is that you're coming across a little harsher than might be necessary to state your feelings on this. I haven't seen the process, but I'm curious as to how this sealant "trashes the natural look and feel of the stone"...again, I haven't seen it, but I'm honestly curious. I know that our granite will have a sealant put on it and I didn't notice a difference between the slab as it was and when they gave me a piece of it with the sealant on it.

As for the price to have Clearstone installed - for you, the price might be too high. For those who want marble but not the etching, that might seem to be an extremely manageable price to ensure that they can continue loving what they have selected to be in their kitchen.

Looking at the "marble alternatives" that are out there currently, there's none that I have seen that I would consider a good enough facsimile to warrant getting it instead of marble if marble was what I was going for.

Also, I think that this is a great option for those who have marble, thought that they could live with the characteristics inherent with the stone, but find that they really can't.

As for pricing - pricing is what the market will bear. Do I think the price is high? Sure. No doubt. On the other hand, I wouldn't begin to tell someone that they shouldn't do a sealant for the price quoted IF it is likely to give them the characteristics they are hoping to achieve to better love what they have decided upon. Now, if the product isn't going to help or won't help as much as it's purported to do, then that's helpful information to have.

Actually it isn't a sealant...used that word loosely. It is in fact, worse - its a coating.

There are several engineered stones coming online in 2014 that will make this discussion moot. Anyone buying new marble who doesn't want etching should wait.

I know plenty of millionaires who also want a solution to the "Marble look" while avoiding etching and will not pay $60 psf for what is essentially a coating treatment that changes the tactile feel and look of the marble. (If a customer is neurotic enough to worry about etching - as many of us are - they will also notice the difference of the coating, too).

Duffydawg, I didn't get quoted $55-$65 a square foot. I was quoted less.
The appearance of Clearstone is going to depend on the stone and the finish (polished versus honed). It didn't trash my laundry room marble.
My advice for anyone thinking about Clearstone is to get a good sized sample piece of their stone with the edge they are doing and have it put on the sample. Then make an informed decision. Noone here is trying to push this product, including srosen who uses it. We are just sharing information.
Edit: I apologize for having two threads on this. Actually, I think I have three. I was posting multiple pictures and should have posted them in one thread.

This post was edited by romy718 on Sun, Oct 27, 13 at 14:20

I happen to be getting Ceasarstone in my kitchen, Organic White, because that's what I like. Last time around, I had two different granites both of which I loved. I would never ever get an engineered stone that mimics the look of marble. If I want marble, I'll get marble, and if I want an engineered stone, I'll get one that doesn't pretend to be something else.

The point is, everyone has different sensitivities and price points. You certainly don't have to like Clearstone on real marble, and I don't have to like "fake" marble.

I am curious as to the actual wording of the "guarantee" of this product. What is the actual remedy offered if the product should fail and etching does occur? Saying a product is "guaranteed" can mean many different things and I would want to know exactly what it means to this manufacturer/supplier before I shelled out such a premium price.

Romy I did get a sample and the coating does change the tactile feel and look of the stone. Unfortunately nothing is perfect when it comes to protecting Marble. However, I nearly fell off my seat when I saw the quote. You stated previously $40 - $60 psf and I had three quotes (two outside our territory) and nothing came close to $40 - $55 range. We are building a sizable house and kitchen....

The market will dictate if others view the value. My opinion is that it is way over priced as there are alternatives coming onto the market shortly. And as somebody else stated you can have your marble treated many times over for that price, too.

But if you got an installation in the $40 - $50 PSF range, then you are very lucky relative to the current market. I would expect this price will come down materially this year. But I am not god, so maybe I could be wrong. But to have the coating the same or similar range as many quality stones is breathtaking.

It will be interesting to see what happens as many homeowners are particularly into the look of Calcutta and there are solutions coming online shortly that won't have the short comings of marble for food prep and entertaining areas.

What type of coating is this? Does it penetrate or lay on the surface? What happens to it as it ages, after the 15 year guarantee period? I would be concerned that it is something like the coating put on on cultured marble that cracks and crazes over time or with heat. Don't know what they use but there seems to be a protective gloss coating that can fail. Then what. Can this stuff be removed and other products then put over the stone?

Duffydawg, just read in my other Clearstone post that you got Clearstone for your marble. Glad it worked out for you.
Since Clearstone can't be applied on a vertical surface, my Ogee edge looks white & the horizontal surface with Clearstone looks slightly grey. With a different edge, it might not have been so noticeable.
Sorry GW for the multiple posts on one subject - newbie back then & should have posted my pics in one thread.